How to Take Screenshots on Ubuntu

Research has found out that humans are able to interpret information faster if there is a visual medium. This is especially true when you take screenshots to show someone the step-by-step process of screen capturing.

While you may be familiar with taking screenshots on other devices, this article will explore all the ways in which you can take screenshots on Ubuntu.

Why you will need to take screenshots on Ubuntu

So, what are screenshots, and why do you need to take them? Screenshots are also sometimes referred to as screencaps, and they are an image of your screen. These capture your screen display so you can send them to others or use them as a reference.

Screenshots are excellent ways for collaborations. Now that everything is digitized, you can use screenshots to explain things, show appreciation or point out mistakes rather than writing lengthy paragraphs. Even rather than narrating a whole story again, all you need is to send a screenshot of the chat to the other person to understand the situation.

Lastly, screenshots can also be helpful if you are trying to track down some problem with the software or your computer. You can take screenshots of the error messages and send them to the Support Team or Tech team. This is very helpful, especially if you have little idea about the software or the error it relates to.

How to Take Screenshots Using Keyboard Shortcuts

Using keyboard shortcuts for taking screenshots in Ubuntu is probably the easiest and most straightforward way to get screenshots. If you are working on some high-end video editing or photoshop, we highly recommend using the keyboard shortcuts to prevent your system from slowing down, and you can take all the screenshots with a few flicks of your fingers.

Here are some of the ways to take screenshots in Ubuntu while using the keyboard shortcuts:

Capturing Full Screen

So, let us begin with the easiest first. You can take a screenshot of the whole screen by pressing Print Screen or Prt Sc on your keyboard. This will take the screenshot and automatically save it in the Screenshots folder in the Pictures directory.

How to Capture Part of the Screen

In case you do not want to capture the whole screen and only want to take a screenshot of a part of your screen, then carefully press Shift and Print Screen together.

This will help you capture specific areas on your browser or a dialog box without capturing unnecessary things on your screen.

Taking a Screenshot of the Active Window

If you are a regular computer user, you might be used to working on your PC with multiple tabs and windows opened at once. Now, if you are taking a screenshot of a screen with such clutter and mess, then the screenshot would not be as effective as you like.

Here is how you can screenshot the active window on your screen to solve that problem. This only takes the screenshot of the window you are currently working on.

Press Alt and Print Screen to take the screenshot of the window. This picture will then be saved to the Pictures directory.

Capturing and Saving Screenshots to Clipboard

While the above ways are ideal for capturing screenshots and saving them to your computer to use them any time you want, sometimes you might also need to use a screenshot for an email without saving it to your device.

For this, Ubuntu allows you to capture screenshots and save them to the clipboard. All you need to do is tweak the above methods a bit to ensure the screenshot is saved to the clipboard. Here is how you can do that:

1. To capture the entire screen and save it on the clipboard, all you need to do is press Crtl+ PrintScreen.
2. To take a screenshot of any part of the screen and save it to the clipboard, press Crtl+Shift +PrintScreen.
3. Lastly, if you want to screenshot the active window and save it to the clipboard, press Crtl+ Alt+ PrintScreen.

By using any of the above ways, you can take screenshots by pressing just a few keys on the keyboard.

How to Take Screenshots Using the Ubuntu Screenshot App

While keyboard shortcuts are probably the easiest way to take screenshots, some people just don’t prefer it that way for various reasons. One of the reasons is not remembering the shortcut.

So, another way to take a screenshot is using the Unbuntu screenshot app called Screenshot.

With the screenshots app, you will have the freedom to take the screenshot however you want. You will also have access to many exciting features like delaying the screen before taking the screenshot or adding pointers to it.

These options usually are not there for the keyboards shortcuts. You can also edit the screenshot by adding a drop shadow, borders, etc.

Here is how you can take screenshots using the Screenshot app in Ubuntu:

• Click on the Applications Menu.
• In the search bar, type Screenshot.

• Click on the Screenshot app shown in the best match.
• Now, select the type of screenshot you want. There will be instructions on the screen for you to follow. Follow them to get your screenshot and save it.

With the screenshot app, you can take screenshots anytime you want and also make them presentable.

Take Screenshots on Ubuntu Through the Terminal

The truth is once you realize the power of the command line, there is no way you can ever go back. And taking screenshots using the shortcuts and the keyboard shortcuts can be tedious if you are used to the terminal way.

Taking a Simple Screenshot of the Screen

To take screenshots on Ubuntu using terminal, follow the steps below:

• Press Crtl+ Alt+ T to launch the terminal.
• Enter the command “gnome-screenshot” like that shown below:

• Once you type the command, press This will take a screenshot of the whole screen, including the terminal window.

Using Delay to take Screenshot through Terminal

If you don’t want the terminal window to show in the screenshot, you can delay the screenshot by a few seconds. This will give you enough time to minimize the terminal window before the screenshot is taken.

• To add delay to the screenshot, use the “- d” flag and write the “gnome-screenshot -d 3” command. It will look something like this:

• Press Enter,and then you have 3 seconds to minimize the terminal window, after which a screenshot would be taken.

The -d stands for Delay, and the 3 represents the number of seconds you want to delay the screenshot. You can even change it to 5 or 10 as you like.

Capturing the Current Window

If you just want to capture the current window using the terminal and not the whole screen, then use the command “gnome-screenshot -w” like that shown below:

This will only capture the active window.

• And if you want to add borders to your Screenshot, just make a slight variation to the above command and write “gnome-screenshot -w -b”. This will capture the current window with borders around it.

This way, you can take different types of screenshots by just typing in the commands, or you can simply copy-paste the commands from here.

How to Capture a Photo From Video in Wondershare DemoCreator

While we are talking about taking screenshots, we can not miss Wondershare Democreator. Democreator is an excellent tool if you want to record quality videos and then edit them. If you have not heard of Democreator before, here is all you need to know.

Wondershare Democreator is a quality screen recorder that will help anyone record their screens and edit videos. The screen recorder offers camera overlay, frame adjustment, and even allows you to select the portion of the screen you want to record.

The video editor tools are very powerful and easy to use. With an interface similar to the MS office suite, DemoCreator can be used smoothly by professionals and beginners alike. One of the notable features of DemoCreator is the large array of transitions, effects, annotations, emojis, and stickers that you can add to your video. This almost gives it that professional quality. Apart from all that, you can export all your edited videos anywhere you want. You can connect your Youtube channel to DemoCreator and post there directly.

How to Capture a Screenshot from a Video in Wondershare DemoCreator

Capturing a snapshot in Wondershare DemoCreator is extremely easy. You can take pictures from any video you like. This feature will also allow you to take screenshots from a screen recording and save them.

Follow the steps below to take photos from a video in Demoreator:

Step 1: Download and Install DemoCreator

Before beginning, make sure you have downloaded and installed Wondershare DemoCreator from its official website. You can choose either the Windows version or the Mac Version depending on the OS you are using.

Step 2: Add the video to the Media Library

• Launch Wondershare DemoCreator now and from the window, select Video Editor.
• The DemoCeator Editor will open now. On the left side of the screen, you will see the media library. Click on the little “+” and select Import Media Files to add a new video to the library.

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• Select the video you want to add from the new window that opens.

Step 3: Take a Screenshot

• Now, drag the video from the media library to the Timeline.
• Once you drag it to the timeline, you will see a preview of the video in the preview window in the middle of your screen.
• Under the screen, you will find a littleicon of a camera. When you hover your pointer over it, it will say snapshot. This will help you take a screenshot of the part of the video you want.
• Now start playing the video and pause it where you want to take a snapshot and click on the snapshot icon.
• This will save the snapshot in your DemoCreator folder in the Documents directory. You can open file explorer to find the snapshots.

How to Record Screen with DemoCreator

Suppose you are preparing a presentation and would like the other party to know all the details so that a screen recording might be a better idea. While screenshots are great for showing the step-by-step process, a recording might be more explanatory, walking them through the whole process.

Wondershare not only allows you to capture screenshots in videos but also allows you to record your screens along with a camera overlay and voiceover function.

You can record your games, informational videos, or even fun Youtube videos for your social media family.

Here is how you can record screen using Wondershare DemoCreator:

Step 1: Download and Install DemoCreator

• Before starting, make sure you have downloaded and installed Wondershare DemoCreator on your PC. If you don’t, you can install it from the official website of Wondershare Democreator.
• Simply click on Free Download to download the free version. There is also a version for Mac and Windows. You can choose whatever suits you.
• Once you have downloaded the software on the PC, install it by following the steps on the screen.

Step 2: Launch DemoCreator

• Now that you have installed DemoCreator, you can start working on it.
• Lauch the app on your PC. A window will open, showing you multiple options from record screen, record game, and video editing.
• You can choose any one of the options you want, but since we are learning how to record your screen, we will select New Recording.

Step 3: Start a New Recording in Democreator

• The New RecordingWindow will now open, showing multiple options.

• You can select your recording area from under the capture area segment.
• You can also change the frame rate and customize the audio and video quality you want to record.
• While working on the recording, you can add your video overlay if you want. This will show your video on the screen along with the recording.
• Once you have selected your audio and video devices, you can start recording your video. Click on the small red record button to start the recording. You can press F9 to pause or resume the recording. You can also use F10 to Stop the recording.
• Once you stop recording the video, it will open in a small preview window. You can click on Fast Exportto export the video as it is or click on Editor to edit the screen recording.

Step 4: Taking Screenshots

After opening the video in the editor, you can also take screenshots from the screen recording.

• Your file will be displayed in the Media Library.
• Just drag and drop it in the Timeline area.
• Now, you will be able to view the recording in the preview window.
• Press on the play button under the preview section and then stop the video every time you want to take a screenshot.
• Press the camera icon or Snapshot button under the preview window to take a screenshot.
• The screenshot will automatically be saved in your DemoCreator folder in the Documents directory.

Step 5: Editing your Recording in Wondershare Democreator

• Once you are done recording your video, the screen recording will show in a small preview window. Click on the Editorbutton to open the Wondershare Democreator Editor.
• You can drag and drop the file on the timeline to start editing it.
• You can edit the video by applying the effects available, like the Pan and Zoom effect. You can add animations, transitions, background music, or any other audio. You can even add text to the recording.
• Apart from that, once you have edited the video, you can directly export it anywhere or save it to your device.
• Just click on the Exporttab and click on Create Video.
• After choosing the resolution and location to save your video, click Export.

Wrap Up

This is how you can take screenshots in Ubuntu. You can take screenshots of the whole screen, specific areas, or only the active window. You can also edit the screenshots and attach them to documents and emails.

Hopefully, one of the methods above will help you get the work done. And in case you can not find the solution you need, you can always use third-party apps like Wondershare DemoCreator, which allows you to take screenshots as well as record the screen.